How Not To Be Listened To
I got an email today.
Dear KJ
I’d really like you to write about different subjects. I know you mostly write historical queer romance but I preferred your contemporary m/f action thriller and I’d love you to write more of that instead.
Obviously, historical/fantasy romance is where you write and sell the most books, so I’m asking you to move away from your core readership and the stuff you most like writing. And I should admit that I never buy books, so I won’t pay to read your books, or anyone else’s. Also, if you do write another book of the kind I like, I won’t tell anyone about it: I never discuss books online or with friends, I don’t have a blog, and I don’t review on Goodreads or Amazon or anywhere.
Nevertheless, please take my opinion into account and change the way you do things. Thanks!
Now, I liked my action thriller, and so did a few readers, and I’d gladly write more given tangible encouragement. But this guy…you’re not offering me any sort of inducement to listen to you but you want me to move down a path that I don’t trust to do well? Wow, why not just head the email, ‘Please ignore me’?
***
I think you’ve probably worked out that wasn’t a real email.
Today is the last day for Brits to register to vote in the forthcoming election. There may be 7.5 million people unregistered to vote. POC, women, the disabled and young people are disproportionately represented in the non-voting. And with an election this tight, this unpredictable, those votes could make a massive difference.
I know people are apathetic, disillusioned, unrepresented or frankly repelled by the current state of politics. Believe me, I know. I look at my choice for 7 May and it makes me feel slightly ill. And I know it doesn’t feel like politicians give a damn, or that one vote makes a difference in the tide of slurry.
But if you don’t vote, your opinions don’t count. If you don’t give the politicians a reason to give a monkey’s about you, they won’t.
In the last election, 80% of over 65s voted, and only 47% of 18-24s did. Amazingly, our government has been more interested in pensions and inheritance tax than in tuition fees or tackling the housing crisis for the young. The LibDems made promises about tuition fees in the hope of getting the 18-24 vote; they dropped those promises like a hot rock because they didn’t feel young people made it worth their while to keep them. Groups that don’t vote don’t get represented by politicians to the same degree as those that do. Well, why would they?
Register to vote, please. Encourage others to register. Spread the word that today, 20 April, is the last day to register online. It takes five minutes, and you don’t need your national insurance number if you don’t have it to hand.
And remember that not registering, not voting, is a message to politicians too, and what it says is, ‘Please ignore me.’
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So many people are beaten or die for the just the chance to vote. It really upsets me that so many who have the privilege don't use it.
Robyn wrote: "So many people are beaten or die for the just the chance to vote. It really upsets me that so many who have the privilege don't use it."I know. I'm writing a series around the Peterloo Massacre now. Nearly 20 people killed and 200+ wounded when the magistrates sent in armed cavalry to a peaceful demonstration asking for Manchester to have a Member of Parliament. The cavalry targeted women suffragists. That was what the right to representation meant to people and how hard they had to fight.
My question is: do these people know this is a priviledge? Why are children in school learnig tons about ancient civilisations and nothing about their recent history, their rights, their duties, the cost of their freedom ?
Perhaps a population of donkeys is easier to "rule". I'm am from Italy, but I see the same luck of interest here as well. Often, sadly, justified by the abovementioned disillusion, or better repulsion, by the current state of politics. I am a mother, and I'll make sure my kid will know what a priviledge being able to vote is. First of all with my example!
And on a lighter note... This is me offering tangible encouragement for more Nonstop Til Tokyo.
Another reason I love being an Australian is that for us a bad voting level is <95%.... The argument gets made that requiring people to vote is undemocratic but as it is a completely SECRET ballot what we actually require is people participate in the Democratic process... you can pop your ballot paper in the box without putting a mark on it (making it informal and therefore not countable, and informal votes are no distributed to parties at all) but you have to make an active decision not to submit a formal ballot...As we've seen ONE vote make a difference, as in a tie, so, yep, I like our system and sometimes wonder why other countries don't follow... it's not perfect but is sure beats more of the alternatives in many supposed democratic countries...
Justjeanette wrote: "Another reason I love being an Australian is that for us a bad voting level is <95%.... The argument gets made that requiring people to vote is undemocratic but as it is a completely SECRET ballot ..."I'd 100% support compulsory voting in the UK. It really isn't that much of a terrible imposition to ask people to participate in *choosing their own government*.
The shame is how out of touch our politicians are, they're a privileged bunch with little concept of the average person's life - which doesn't inspire young people to get involved.While I feel strongly about getting the current leaders out it's tough to know who makes the better argument.
But yes. People fought for the right to vote and now few bother.
K.J. wrote: "Justjeanette wrote: "Another reason I love being an Australian is that for us a bad voting level is I'd 100% support compulsory voting in the UK. It really isn't that much of a terrible impositio..."
I've worked as a casual electoral official (how we manage with compulsory voting is the Electoral Commission employs a lot of people for the election only to act as polling officers. ... and yes, things like you blogs etc get checked to ensure impartiality.....) and one of my best memories involves explaining to a newly naturalized citizen, a refugee from East Temor, that she was to go over to that polling booth and fill in HER preferences. I could explain how to vote but I could not tell her who to vote for... The look on her face as she realized she could vote however she wanted without fear is one of the major reasons I still keep working as a casual official.
To run compulsory voting all you need in manpower... For Federal elections Australia sends polling officers to all her embassies for 2 weeks prior to the election so people overseas can vote. For State and Federsl we open early polling stations for 2 weeks in each each electorate with ballot papers for ALL electorates (we call them absentee voting), we have postal voting, we have mobile voting stations that visit the hospitals and retirement homes, on the day, and we take ordinary and absent votes on the day at every polling booth so that if you are not at home, or near home, you can still vote.
I love our system. .. All prepoll and absentee ballots are sealed and not counted till after close of polling, too.
With postal voting too it's so easy,I'm disabled and use postal vote. You can set it all up online then everything you need is sent to you.i get cross people don't vote. Apathy reins it seems. I'd support compulsory voting.
